The Fender Bass VI that we use is what they call a "FrankenFender," an instrument made out of old, original parts. FrankenFenders are an economical way to get "the sound" and build quality of a 1960s Fender at a fraction of the stratospheric price of original instruments. Since it is a 30-inch scale instrument, it can either be tuned in Bass VI tuning (octave down from a regular guitar) or, as we do, in a baritone tuning using lighter gauge strings.